Xylophone-type toy

ABSTRACT

A musical toy railroad comprising a track composed of sound emitting bodies, toy vehicle moving along said track and striking said sound emitting bodies during movement along said track so as to play a tune.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [72]Inventor JosephLaw Kowloon, Hong Kong 519,721 Jan. 10, 1966 [45]Patented July 6, 1971 a H 2 3 9 1 1.. l 6 0 1 5 2,089,885 8/1937Fisher........

2,883,793 4/1959 Crawford 3,433,110 3/1969 Stanton AppLNo. [22] Filed[73] Assignee Cngsun lndustries,lnc.

New York, N .Y.

Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wi Assistant Examiner-George H. Miller, Jr.

egel, Esqs.

s41 XYLOPHONE-TYPE TOY 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

Attorney-Lining and Si 84/404, 46/177, 46/216. 104/53 Int.

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A TTORNEKF- XYLOPHONE-TYPE TOY This invention relates to toys and, moreparticularly, relates to an Xylophone-type toy in which each Xylophonetone bar is mounted in a track section adjustably interconnectable toform a track and which is provided with a wheeled vehicle to travel overthe track to strike each tone bar sequentially to play a tune.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved toy inwhich a wheeled vehicle traverses an improved track arrangement havingcontrollably positioned tone bars which are sequentially struck by thewheeled vehicle to provide a tune during the traversement.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedtrack arrangement for toys of this nature.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide anXylophone-type toy in which tone bars may be controllably positioned ina sequence by the user so that the user may control the scale providedor may arrange the bars for sequential striking to generate a tune.

In accordance with these objects, there is provided, in a preferredembodiment of this invention, an Xylophone-type toy which comprises atrack arrangement formed from removably interchangeable track sections.Each section is provided with parallel spaced apart beams. A railsection is carried above each of said beams. Resilient mounting meansincluding a resilient locating stud are provided on' the beams of eachtrack section to receive a tone bar extending transversely of the rail.The resilient mounting means mounts the tone bar so that it can vibratewhen struck to sound a note. The track sections are provided withdifferent notes so that the user may arrange the track sections in atone sequence to play tunes. Rests in tunes are provided for by tracksections in which the tone bar is omitted or is nonsounding if a bar isrequired for appearance. The sections interlock to maintain the desiredlayout selected by the user.

A wheeled vehicle is provided and is adapted to run along the trackprovided by the coupled track sections. A striking hammer is carried bythe wheeled vehicle to sequentially strike the tone bars in the tracksections as the vehicle traverses the track arrangement. Since thetransverse tone bars resemble the cross ties of a railroad track, thewheeled vehicle is usually designed as a simulated locomotive. The tracksections are individually identifiable as to the tone bar and as, forexample, by color coding of the tone bar. Thus, the child using the toymay assemble the sections as, for example, by a color coding to providevarious tunes. The wheeled vehicle may be run on the assembled trackarrangement to sound the tune. Alternately, of course, the tone bars maybe struck by an xylophone-type hammer in sequence or the tone bars maybe arranged in a conventional scale for use as a typical xylophonearrangement.

Having briefly described this invention, it will be described in greaterdetail along with other objects and advantages in the following portionsof the specification, which may best be understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an Xylophone type toy according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the track sections used in thearrangementofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned elevation view taken on lines 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially sectioned view taken on lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the resilient support used in FIG. I;

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of another track section used in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partial elevation of a wheeled vehicle used in thearrangement of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a partial elevation of another wheeled vehicle used in thearrangement of FIG. 1.

In the figures, there is shown an Xylophone-type toy consisting of tracksections 10 which are assembled together to form a track arrangementover which a wheeled vehicle 12 runs. Only the chassis of the vehicle isshown since the body outline can be changed for various embodiments. Ingeneral, the body of the wheeled vehicle will resemble a locomotivesince the track sections are assembled together in simulation of arailroad track arrangement in which the tone bars 14 simulate crossties. As the wheeled vehicle travels along the track, it willsequentially strike each of the tone bars thereby to play a tune. Inthis manner, the toy is appealing to a variety of ages since it not onlyprovides movement but also plays musical tunes.

The track sections are identifiable as, for example, by color coding ofthe tone bar or by a numerical code stamped thereon or both so that tunearrangements may be reproduced from color coded charts by the childusing the toy. Spaces as, for example, pauses in the tune may beprovided by the blank track sections 15 which carry no tone bar orwhich, if the illusion of cross ties is to be preserved, carries asimulation of a tone bar which will not sound a note upon being struck.

Each track section consists of spaced apart beam members 16, each memberof which consists of a substantially U-shaped channel section having anouter sidewall 18, an inner sidewall 20 and connecting web members 22 ateach end thereof. Each web member is formed with a dovetail slot 24 anda protruding dovetail 26. The dovetail slot 24 and the protrudingdovetail 26 are provided to receive the corresponding members of theadjacent section, thereby to releasably secure together adjacent tracksections in a continuous track arrangement. To permit construction ofcurved track arrangements, wedge shaped sections 28 are provided whichare secured together to form a continuous curve. The wedge shapedsections and the straight sided sections may be joined together in acontinuous track arrangement as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 6.

Extending upwardly from each of the beam members is a track supportmember 30 which supportably receives the rail sections 32. Each of therail sections consists of a U-shaped section which is bonded at the topend of the track supports 30.

It will be noted that each track section is fabricated in such mannerthat it can be produced by simple die-casting techniques. It is, forthis reason, that the rail sections are applied to and bonded to thetops of the track support members 30. Although the rail sections couldbe cast in place, it is normally found that such construction isuneconomical because of the need for expensive movable element molds.

Between each track support member, there is provided a resilient supportfor the tone bar. The resilient support 34 is preferably molded fromsoft rubber and is provided with channels 36, the length of the supportand with a vertically extending resilient locating post 38 having anenlarged head 40 on the top thereof. The resilient support is insertedwithin a slot 42 in the top of the rail section. The slot is cast duringmolding of the track section and is at least as long as the resilientmember 34 between the track support members 30. The resilient insert ismerely pressed into the slot. During insertion, the flanges 44 deformand subsequently expand with the channel 36 engaging the edges of theslot 42. Each tone bar is provided with an aperture 46 which is insertedover the vertically extending pin 38. The head 40 deforms during theinsertion and resumes its original shape to hold the tone bar 14thereon. As illustrated, the tone bars are preferably curved so that theedges rest on the resilient pad 34, permitting the tone bar to vibrateand sound a note when struck.

The wheeled vehicle may, as previously explained, have differing outlineconfigurations dependent on the design effect provided. In addition, thewheeled vehicle may take several mechanical forms. For example, thewheeled vehicle may be electrically driven by a battery 48 carried onthe chassis and controlled by an electric switch 50. The electricalenergy is applied to a drive motor in the drive case 52 which drivesshaft 54 and the flanged wheels 56 mounted thereon. The chassis may alsocarry flanged idler wheels in a different plane from on the wheeledvehicle to strike the tone bar as the vehicle traverses the track. Thestriker hammer may be mechanically actuated as in the vehicle shown inFIG. 7 in which the hammer is carried on a striker arm 60. The strikerarm is pivotably mounted to the chassis and is coupled to a downwardlyextending trip lever 62, which may, preferably, be integrally formedtherewith. As the trip hammer encounters a tone arm, it will elevate thestriker arm and the hammer. When the trip lever clears the tone bar, itwill permit the striker arm to drop and the hammer carried, thereby tostrike a tone bar sounding a single note. The hammer may be resilientlycoupled to the striker arm and the downward excursion of the striker armlimited by a stop 64 so that a single note is struck.

In many applications, it is desired to repetitively strike eachof thetone bars as the vehicle passes thereover, in which case the vehicleshown in FIG. 8 may be employed.

In FIG. 8, there is shown a vehicle similar in construction to that ofFIG. 7 and in which like parts are numbered identically. The strikerhammer 68 is, however, a vibratory hammer so as to strike a plurality oftimes on each tone bar as the vehicle passes thereover, thereby to sounda series of notes of each tone. While different vibratory drives may beutilized, it is preferred to use a rotating eccentric drive as is morespecifically set forth in application Ser. No. 519,507, filed Jan. 10,1966 by Frank Stanton for Wheeled Vehicle with a Vibratory Hammer, nowUS. Pat. No. 3,433,110. Briefly, in such a drive, the hammer 68 iseccentrically mounted on a resilient shaft 70 rotatably driven by motor72. The eccentricity of the hammer 68 deflects the shaft and the hammer68 describes a circular path striking the bar a plurality of times as itrotates. Although the toy has been described with a vehicle, thearrangement of sections with specific tone bars makes the toy useful formanual playing of tunes by arranging the notes in a scale or tunearrangement and striking the bars manually.

This invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scopeof the subjoined claims.

lclaim:

1. An xylophone toy comprising a track, said track comprising first andsecond mounting beams extending in parallel disposition, and a pluralityof track sections releasably coupled together to form said track, eachof said track sections comprises said first and second mounting beams, aweb interconnecting the'ends of said mounting beams, each of said websincluding a dovetail element protruding from the face thereof and adovetail recess therein so that each section may be releasably coupledto an adjacent section, pins located along said mounting beams toreceive tone bars positioned thereon so that said tone bars extendsubstantially transversely of said track, being positioned under saidtracks, a resilient member extending along said beams upon which atleast the edges of said tone bars rest for separation of said tone barsfrom said mounting beams, a wheeled vehicle adapted to run along saidtracks, and a striking hammer carried by said wheeled vehicle tosequentially strike said tone bars as said wheeled vehicle progressesalong said track.

2. An xylophone toy in accordance with claim 1 in which said webs aredisposed at an angle so that assembled sections will form a curvedtrack.

3. An xylophone toy in accordance with claim 1 in which each of saidmounting beams is provided with a slot in the top surface thereof and inwhich said resilient member comprises an insert of resilient materialinsertable into said slot.

4. An xylophone toy in accordance with claim 1 in which said insertincludes an upstanding locating stud and in which each of said tone barsis provided with an aperture positionable over said stud.

5. An xylophone-type toy comprising a plurality of sections, each ofsaid sections comprising a first and second spaced apart mounting beam,a first and second web member connecting the respective ends of saidfirst and second mounting beams each of said web members havin adovetail element exten mg from and a dovetail slot provi ed in the outerface thereof, said element and slot being positioned and dimensioned sothat each section can be releasably interconnected with an adjacentsection, a resilient member extending along the top of each beam andhaving an upstanding stud extending therefrom, -a tone bar carried onsaid resilient member and having apertures through which said studsprotrude for locating said bar, and a rail section carried above eachbeam and positioned to be aligned with the rails on the adjacent sectioncoupled thereto.

1. An xylophone toy comprising a track, said track comprising first and second mounting beams extending in parallel disposition, and a plurality of track sections releasably coupled together to form said track, each of said track sections comprises said first and second mounting beams, a web interconnecting the ends of said mounting beams, each of said webs including a dovetail element protruding from the face thereof and a dovetail recess therein so that each section may be releasably coupled to an adjacent section, pins located along said mounting beams to receive tone bars positioned thereon so that said tone bars extend substantially transvErsely of said track, being positioned under said tracks, a resilient member extending along said beams upon which at least the edges of said tone bars rest for separation of said tone bars from said mounting beams, a wheeled vehicle adapted to run along said tracks, and a striking hammer carried by said wheeled vehicle to sequentially strike said tone bars as said wheeled vehicle progresses along said track.
 2. An xylophone toy in accordance with claim 1 in which said webs are disposed at an angle so that assembled sections will form a curved track.
 3. An xylophone toy in accordance with claim 1 in which each of said mounting beams is provided with a slot in the top surface thereof and in which said resilient member comprises an insert of resilient material insertable into said slot.
 4. An xylophone toy in accordance with claim 1 in which said insert includes an upstanding locating stud and in which each of said tone bars is provided with an aperture positionable over said stud.
 5. An xylophone-type toy comprising a plurality of sections, each of said sections comprising a first and second spaced apart mounting beam, a first and second web member connecting the respective ends of said first and second mounting beams, each of said web members having a dovetail element extending from and a dovetail slot provided in the outer face thereof, said element and slot being positioned and dimensioned so that each section can be releasably interconnected with an adjacent section, a resilient member extending along the top of each beam and having an upstanding stud extending therefrom, a tone bar carried on said resilient member and having apertures through which said studs protrude for locating said bar, and a rail section carried above each beam and positioned to be aligned with the rails on the adjacent section coupled thereto. 